Design Review in a Multi-CAD Data Management Environment, a conversation with:
- David Segal: ENOVIA User Experience Director
- Ron Close: ENOVIA Marketing Director
Ron: David, thanks for joining us for this conversation. We’ve been talking a lot recently about the ENOVIA Multi-CAD Data Management Experience and it’s great to have the subject matter expert with us. For this conversation, we’d like to talk about how companies can optimize their Design Review processes in a Multi-CAD environment. Could I first ask you to describe the basics of how ENOVIA tackles this problem?
David: Thanks Ron. This is indeed a very important topic for our customers. As you know, many customers work in a mixed CAD environment but still need to bring the data together for intra-departmental reviews as well as reviews with constituents outside of the company, such as suppliers and OEM clients. Managing digital mock-up (DMU) in Multi-CAD environments has been always an important process to improve design quality and efficiency. ENOVIA is able to bring Multi-CAD designs together by automatically generating lightweight versions of the CAD files and assembling them in what we call a ‘3D hybrid digital mock-up’. Once the visualization data is created, ENOVIA users can enjoy the benefits of the 3DEXPERIENCE Data Driven Architecture which delivers critical functionality to perform instant design reviews, resolve interferences and clashes.
Ron: I understand that is how we bring the data together. Do we have to manually regenerate the visualization data each time the CAD data is updated?
David: No, with the immersive data management provided by ENOVIA, the changes made in the native CAD system are automatically propagated not only to the visualization data, but for the Bill of Materials and other meta-data elements as well. In fact, designers or a group of designers, could set up rules for automatic generation and updates of lightweight designs and be in constant control of when, how and what data will be generated.
Ron: Besides the visualization data, can you shed some light on other data elements that are managed in this environment?
David: Information about material, tolerances and annotations, product and manufacturing information can be captured for further digital mock-up analysis. In addition, information such as version, owner and data last changed are always accessible from ENOVIA. This makes it easier than ever to maximize the value of your IP – even when it comes from different CAD authoring systems.
Ron: Very cool. You mentioned that when the CAD data is modified, the changes propagate ‘automatically’. How is that accomplished? Surely the designer must interact with ENOVIA to communicate his changes?
David: I’m glad you asked. Actually, the immersive environment from Dassault Systemes places ENOVIA functionality within the CAD authoring application’s user interface. The designer doesn’t need to leave his work environment and switch to another window – all design data management functions are available from within the CAD user interface. So the simple act of saving a part through this interface enables the changes to propagate automatically. Moreover, ENOVIA ensures your data integrity and prevents any chance for design inconsistency through this automatic propagation. This is especially important for concurrent design with multiple players. I just happened to have a screen shot with me to illustrate this point:
CAD Authoring Application Interface
Ron: Thanks David, that’s very clear now. As a final question, can you summarize the value of having this 3D hybrid design review available for Multi-CAD clients?
David: In short, this is all about improving design quality, efficiency and development cycle through truly innovative process of a design’s precise visual convergence. This is what makes it a Multi-CAD Data Management Experience.
There are three key values that I would like to leave you with regarding this innovative process:
- Efficiency: Extend the value of intellectual property: Leverage existing design data for full blown mock-ups for review and analysis.
- Quality: Reduce the occurrence of duplicate designs across multiple CAD systems: Ttoo often, companies spend time designing parts which may already exist somewhere else. Having all of the Multi-CAD data at your fingertips minimizes this risk.
- Optimize access to intellectual property: Managing all of your Multi-CAD design data in one environment minimizes the risk of unauthorized access and maximizes design integrity. Keeping your IP safe, secure, accessible and valid for current use is one of the fundamental values of deploying the ENOVIA solution.
Ron: David, thank you very much for your time.
Related Posts: “Stop Using Digital Duct Tape for Multi-CAD Data Management” and “Three Common Myths of Multi-CAD Data Management”
